Chapter 1

“I had a vasectomy three years ago. That ‘seed’ in your belly? Must be borrowed, wouldn’t you say?”

At the research findings presentation, my professor husband publicly waved a surgical certificate, each word a dagger to my heart. The room gasped, and countless cameras, filled with scorn, focused on my face.

And my husband, who had tenderly stroked my belly just last night, was now thoughtfully draping his jacket over a fragile junior colleague, a former student.

I finally understood. He wanted to preserve his pristine reputation, to openly care for his “ailing” first love, and to do that, he had to utterly destroy me, his wife.

“James Thorne, remember your words today. From this moment on, this child’s life and death have nothing to do with you.”

I publicly tore up our marriage certificate, grabbed my suitcase, and vanished into the rainy night.

Six years later, a prodigy hacker, my son, crashed his company’s system. He coolly rejected James’s high-paying job offer. James, eyes red, tried to force a reunion. The boy scoffed, a mocking tone in his voice:

“Sir, your vasectomy certificate was publicly notarized across the entire internet back then. Are you trying to admit that you were lying all along?”

…

1

“Professor Thorne, the system is back online, but the hacker left a message.”

The assistant wiped cold sweat from his brow, not daring to look at the man at the head of the conference table. James Thorne stared at the massive red 'X' on the screen, his face ashen.

Six years ago, he was a brilliant rising star in academia. Six years later, he was the powerful head of a top tech company. But just moments ago, the company’s core defense system was breached in three seconds by an anonymous hacker.

A line of arrogant small text flashed on the screen:

“Do people who get vasectomies also suffer brain atrophy?”

James abruptly stood up, his fingertips trembling with rage. This secret, besides those present at that fateful presentation, no one knew.

“Investigate! Find me this person’s IP address!” he roared, his tie askew.

Just then, the conference room door opened. Chloe Sterling, in a simple white dress, stood weakly, leaning on the doorframe.

“James, don’t be angry. Be careful with your health.”

The fury in James’s eyes instantly melted into tenderness. He quickly went to her, supporting her. “Chloe? What are you doing here? I told you to rest at the hospital.”

Chloe coughed faintly twice, tears welling in her eyes. “I heard something happened at the company. I was worried about you.”

James thoughtfully draped his jacket over her shoulders, the gesture chillingly practiced. This scene perfectly mirrored six years ago. That’s how he’d been then, publicly waving a vasectomy certificate, accusing the child in my womb of being a “borrowed seed.” Then, in front of everyone, he’d walked towards this “ailing” junior colleague.

“Mr. Thorne, we found it.” The assistant’s voice broke the tender moment. “The person is at the Cloud’s Edge Café in the city center. They didn’t hide their address.”

James sneered, his eyes dark and menacing. “How audacious. Take the team over there.”

I hadn’t expected our first meeting since returning to the country to come so quickly.

In the café, I was slowly sipping my latte. Caleb, across from me, his slender fingers danced rapidly across a tablet. He had a face strikingly similar to James’s, especially those cold, almond-shaped eyes.

“Mom, the fish took the bait.” Caleb closed the tablet, a hint of mockery playing on his lips.

The café door was violently pushed open. James, accompanied by bodyguards, stormed in, his presence menacing. The moment he saw me, he froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

“Sophia?” His voice was hoarse, filled with incredulous shock.

I set down my cup, looking up at him with a slight smile. “Professor Thorne, long time no see.”

His gaze lingered on my face for a long time, finally settling on Caleb. Caleb’s face was practically a miniature version of James’s.

James’s expression instantly became a kaleidoscope of emotions: shock, anger, absurdity, finally settling into deep disgust.

“Sophia, you actually dared to come back?” He strode to the table, staring down at me. “Is this bastard the evidence of your betrayal back then?”

Caleb stood up. Though his height only reached James’s waist, his aura was no less formidable. “Sir, misidentifying relatives is a sickness that needs curing.”

James scoffed, laughing angrily, pointing at Caleb as he addressed me. “Is this the kind of child you raised? Just like that adulterer, completely ill-mannered.”

I stood up, shielding Caleb behind me. “Mr. Thorne, please show some respect.”

“I am the Chief Technology Officer of DeepBlue Tech. I’m here today to decline your job offer.”

James froze. He had indeed been offering a hefty sum to a top hacker codenamed “S” recently. But he never expected that hacker to be me. Or rather, the child behind me.

2

“You’re S?” James’s eyes were full of doubt. In his mind, I would always be the housewife who hid behind him, managing his household.

I didn’t speak, but Caleb sneered. “I am.” The little guy pulled out a specially designed ID badge from his backpack and slammed it onto the table.

James’s pupils constricted violently. The assistant behind him gasped, whispering, “Mr. Thorne, the tech department confirmed that the hacker is indeed a child…”

James’s face went from green to white, then from white to red. This feeling of being humiliated by his own son (though he wouldn’t admit it) clearly stuck in his craw.

“Sophia, to get back at me, you actually taught your child to be this kind of sneaky scoundrel?” He glared at me, gritting his teeth. “Crashing the company system—was that just to get my attention?”

His narcissism made me laugh. “Mr. Thorne, you’re thinking too much.”

“Crashing your system was just because your job posting smelled so bad it offended my son’s eyes.”

Chloe then walked up, delicate and frail, pulling on James’s sleeve. “James, don’t be like this. Sophia must be desperate, given her circumstances.” She turned to me, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes, but her face was filled with sympathy. “Sophia, if you need money, you can tell us.”

“After all, you left so abruptly back then, without even settling the marital assets. James has always felt he owed you.”

Her words were expertly crafted. In a few sentences, she cemented my “cheating and fleeing” crime from back then, and subtly asserted her current status as the lady of the house.

James snorted, looking at me with even greater disdain. “Owed? A loose woman like her deserves to talk about being owed?”

Caleb suddenly spoke, his tone cool and clear. “Auntie, your acting is paler than your complexion.”

Chloe’s expression froze. Caleb continued to twist the knife. “And Mr. Thorne, your vasectomy certificate was publicly notarized across the entire internet back then.”

“Since you are infertile, how could this child possibly be yours?”

“Since he’s not yours, how can there be any talk of betrayal?”

“Are you trying to admit publicly that your certificate from back then was falsified?”

The coffee drinkers around us turned their heads, hushed whispers erupting. James’s face instantly turned as black as soot. This logical loop left him unable to refute. Admit the child was his, and he would be a liar who defrauded and tricked me into marriage. Deny the child was his, and he would have to watch his biological son call someone else Daddy.

“Sophia, what exactly do you want?” He lowered his voice, a hint of threat in his tone.

I picked up my bag, taking Caleb’s hand. “Nothing, just for you to stay away from us.”

“After all, a ‘dead man’ doesn’t need a son.”

I walked out of the coffee shop with Caleb. The sunlight warmed my skin, but I felt no comfort. On that rainy night six years ago, I walked the streets with my suitcase. Back then, I swore I would make him pay. Now, the game had just begun.

Back at the hotel, Caleb deftly opened his laptop. “Mom, Chloe’s medical records are fake.” He pointed to a series of fluctuating data on the screen. “She doesn’t have heart disease at all. All those medical reports came from a private hospital under James’s name.”

I looked at the data, a cold smile in my heart. Just as I suspected.

Back then, to protect Chloe, James didn’t hesitate to accuse me of attempted murder. He claimed Chloe had developed congenital heart disease because I pushed her down the stairs. Now it seemed it was nothing more than a play they had orchestrated together. A play to ruin my reputation so they could live happily ever after.

“Keep digging. I want to know who issued that surgical certificate back then.” I stroked Caleb’s head.

“Okay, Mom.” Caleb’s eyes held a maturity beyond his years.

Just then, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. After I answered, James’s angry voice came through.

“Sophia, bring the child. Go to City Central Hospital for a paternity test.”

“Now, immediately!”

3

“Mr. Thorne, have you forgotten?” I held my phone, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the city lights. “You are ‘vasectomized.’ Taking a paternity test would be like slapping yourself in the face, wouldn’t it?”

Heavy breathing came from the other end of the line. James was clearly furious. “Stop the nonsense! That child looks exactly like me. Do you think I’m blind?”

I let out a soft laugh, my voice as cold as ice. “Many people look alike. If Mr. Thorne wants to be a father, he can adopt a child from an orphanage.”

“My child’s last name is Hayes.” After that, I hung up the phone and blocked his number.

The next morning, I received an invitation to an industry summit. As the CTO of DeepBlue Tech, I had to attend. And James, as a local tech magnate, would naturally be there.

The summit was packed with luminaries. I put on a sharp black suit, my hair pulled back, radiating confidence. Caleb, acting as my “special assistant,” wore a miniature suit and walked beside me. The moment we appeared, we became the center of attention.

“Is that S from DeepBlue Tech? She’s so young and beautiful!”

“That child next to her, why does he look so familiar?”

Whispers erupted all around. James walked over with Chloe. Chloe was wearing a pink gown today, making her appear even more fragile. When she saw me, a hint of malice flickered in her eyes.

“Sophia, is it really appropriate to bring a child to an event like this?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but just enough for everyone nearby to hear. “After all, this is a high-level academic exchange. If the child gets noisy, it would be an embarrassment to DeepBlue Tech.”

The atmosphere instantly grew subtle. Before I could speak, Caleb interjected. “Auntie, if you can understand this paper on quantum encryption in my hand, I’ll leave immediately.” He pulled a paper from his folder and handed it to Chloe.

Chloe glanced at it, her face instantly turning a spectrum of colors. The dense equations on it were like an alien language to an art student like her, who had risen through connections.

Laughter rippled through the crowd. James’s face was ashen. He snatched the paper. He had intended to rescue Chloe, but when he saw the content, he froze. It was the core algorithm he had been researching for six months without a breakthrough. And a six-year-old child had just casually written it out?

“This… you wrote this?” James stared intently at Caleb.

Caleb shrugged, his tone nonchalant. “I was bored last night, just doodled it.”

James’s breathing quickened, a flicker of fanaticism in his eyes. He was a man who valued academia above all else, and a shrewd businessman. His gaze at Caleb was no longer disgust, but as if looking at a priceless treasure.

“Sophia, we need to talk.” He looked at me, his tone holding an undeniable command.

I raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Thorne, there’s nothing to talk about between us.”

“Regarding the child, I believe I have a right to know the truth.” He lowered his posture, even with a hint of pleading.

I scoffed inwardly. Truth? The truth back then was that you personally pushed me into the abyss.

“You want the truth? Fine.” I leaned close to his ear, speaking in a voice only we could hear. “Tomorrow at 3 PM, go to the hospital where you supposedly had your vasectomy.”

“I’ll personally deliver the ‘truth’ to you.”

James froze. Chloe, sensing something was amiss, quickly grabbed his arm. “James, don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s definitely trying to trick you.”

But James pushed her hand away. In his eyes, for the first time, he showed suspicion towards Chloe.